There is no sugar coating it. Cold, wet and muddy is what you can expect from winter rides. That's the reality.
Yes, it will be dark when you wake up and it's bound to be so cold and nasty that the weatherman is telling you it's a good day to watch movies on the couch. There isn't anything fun about preparing for a winter ride. But, once you make the effort to buy the right clothes and get yourself out the door, you will be glad you did.
Group riding in the winter not only has great training benefits, it provides a feeling of camaraderie that you don't get from a summer ride. Maybe it's the misery-lovescompany phenomena or maybe it's because those of us who decide to ride together in the pouring rain must really love riding.
Whatever it is, once you invest in the proper clothing and force your bike out the door, the feeling you get when you roll back home is a huge sense of accomplishment.
Riding in harsh weather can also provide a mental edge, which will help you later in the racing season. You can't choose the weather on race day, so if you can brave the elements on a training day, you can always look back and say, "At least it wasn't as bad as that day!"
Here's a list of the must-haves to enjoy winter riding:
. Fenders with back extensions
. Booties for your shoes and/or plastic bags on your feet, inside your shoes
. Full-finger gloves
. Light toque, head band or cap for under your helmet
. Clear or transition sunglasses
. Water resistant (not waterproof unless excellent quality) rain jacket
. Tights and bike shorts
. Breathable, rain-resistant light layers The key to the right clothing is not to stay dry, but to stay warm.
After taking all this time to plug winter riding, there's always an exception when it might be best to stay home. Since Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»is one of the few cities in Canada where you can ride almost all year round, it means that some die-hard cyclists will miss out on the off-season, which I spoke about in a column last month.
Missing your recovery phase means your body doesn't get a chance to heal. Over training, adrenal fatigue, frequent illness and poor performance is sure to follow. So if you are still in the recovery phase of training and reading this with jealousy or guilt-stop worrying. Enjoy your rest time, sleep in and watch movies on the couch.
The rain will still be here in January when you are ready to start training again. See you on the road.
Kristina Bangma is a coach, personal trainer and writer with a love of riding and racing. Email questions to [email protected].
